Human rights center Viasna learned the latest news about political prisoner Viachaslau Areshka, a trade union activist who was sentenced to eight years in prison in the case of Belarusian independent trade unions. The 71-year-old Areshka has almost completely lost his sight, but has not been granted disability status.
A former political prisoner who served his sentence with Areshka said that he moves around the local sector and his unit independently — by touch. In other cases, he needs assistance and is accompanied by other prisoners.
“He knows the unit perfectly: where everything is and how to get around! When he walks around the local area, the guys usually tell him where to turn, where the steps are, where there is a curb or a fence. He walks independently both during the day and at night.
But because he cannot see anything, it is very difficult for him to go to the dining hall or the medical unit, and there is always someone accompanying him! This person is usually not the same one, but different people”, the former political prisoner said.
According to him, the prison administration sometimes prohibits other prisoners from helping Areshka, and from time to time issues reports against the pensioner, although it is unclear what for.
At the beginning of summer, Areshka’s condition was generally not bad, taking into account the conditions of detention, the source said.
According to human rights defenders, Areshka is allowed to make phone calls, but he has never had a family visit.
Former head of the Independent Trade Union of Radio and Electronics Industry Workers — REP Hienadz Fedynich, leader of the Orsha independent REP trade union Vasil Berasneu and activist Viachaslau Areshka were tried in 2022.
Fedynich and Berasneu were each sentenced to nine years in a maximum-security prison, while Areshka received eight years. The trade union leaders were detained in April 2022. They were charged with calling for the use of restrictive measures aimed at harming the national security of the Republic of Belarus under Part 3 of Article 361 of the Criminal Code, inciting other social hatred under Part 3 of Article 130 of the Criminal Code, and creating an extremist organization or participating in one under Parts 1 and 3 of Article 361-1 of the Criminal Code.
